When I entered school in 1940, there was no kindergarten, and some how I managed without it. When I graduated from Lewisburg High School, we had teachers, one principal, four scholastic sports programs. Post World War II, United States education was held up as the goal for the rest of the world.
More recently, our educational ranking in the world has gone down dramatically, while the money spent on schools has gone up just as dramatically. While the correlation may not be direct, it should be scary.
I am sure that there are more than one reason for the state of education. I, for one, believe that the increase of non-teaching professionals is one large reason. They draw typically larger salaries, and what they contribute has to be open to question.
The problem now is that money for the public schools must be cut; but where? You may have noticed reports of large numbers of teachers out to pasture to balance the local budget. I choose to let Ken Morgan, in a letter to Car & Driver Magazine, express my general feelings in the matter.
"High schools need to have an auto shop? No, high schools need psychologists, grief counselors, special-ed teachers, remedial teachers, remedial special-ed teachers, an administrator for every six students, women's studies, African-American studies, Hispanic-American studies, Afro-American studies and a healthy dose of self-esteem, having done nothing to earn it. All of this for $10,000 to $12,000 per student per year and a dropout rate closing in on 30 percent. Auto shop? What are you, retro-progressive? Please see the school psychologist."
In other words, give the school back to the teachers.
Phillip G. Miller
Montandon
